Combination metal and plastic button



Jan.7,1947.' ED'MNES 2,413,975

COMBINATION METAL AND PLASTIC BUTTON Filed 0'01 25, 1943 INVENTOR Edm und D Janes.

Patented Jan. 7, 1947 COMBINATION METAL AND PLASTIC BUTTON Edmund D. Janes, Waterbury, Conn, assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Application October 23, 1943, Serial No. 507,452

(Cl. 249l) 11 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in molded buttons and particularly to that type of button that is adapted to be permanently attached to a garment or any supporting material by a tack, rivet or eyelet member.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a button of the above type in which the cap or crown part is made entirely of a molded plastic material, and the hub portion projecting from the rear surface of the cap is made entirely of metal and having anvil means in its interior for upsetting a fastener element such as might be used for attaching the button to'a garment.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combination plastic and metal button wherein the hub portion, made of metal, is permanently secured to the plastic cap through the medium of a flaring flange or equivalent construction adapted to be embedded into the plastic cap coincident with the molding operation. Another feature of this invention resides in the fact that the flaring flange is joined to the side walls or hub part at a relatively sharp or clearly defined angle which. serves to designate the limit that the molded material of the cap is to surround the metallic hub part.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a button of the above character in which the projecting hub part of the button is made of sheet metal material drawn into cupped shape, and into the hollow interior of the hub part is driven a conventional anvil member for the purpose of upsetting or deflecting a portion of a fastener element employed to secure the button to a garment or some form of support member. Furthermore, the design of the anvil is such that, when fitted into the hollow hub, its end wall ad jacent the plastic cap is for the most part disposed inwardly of the rear face of the plastic cap and in fact serves as a die surface to limit the amount of plastic material forced into the hollow of said hub part coincident with the molding operation. This construction allows for extra thickness of the plastic material at the central portion of the cap and gives added strength at that portion where it is most needed, which portion has to be able to withstand the strains imposed upon the anvil in deflecting the fastener element and also strains imposed upon other parts of the button coincident with the button attaching operation.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses two embodiments thereof, and in which Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 2 through one embodiment of the button showing it as itappears attached to a supporting material as by meansof a tack member.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the button, per se as taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the button shown in Fig. 2 as it appears from its back.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the button back, per se as taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the same as it appears from its open end. and

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 2 of a modified form of'the invention.

Referring now to the drawing and describing first the embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the numeral Ill designates a plastic cap molded from material of any suitable character and to which is attached a hollow cupped metal back generally indicated by the numeral H. The back i l in this form is constructed so as to be conveniently made from sheet metal material in the form of an eyelet. It will be noted from the several views that the metal eyelet back II has its side walls Ha slightly tapered and merge into a base part or closed inturned end i2 that has its central portion tapered or drifted inwardly as at l3 and surrounds a restricted opening M, the drifted portion terminating on the inside of the hub in a series of lugs It turned or folded back upon said drifted portion. T'he tapered walls Ha of the back H define the projecting hub Nb of the button construction.

An anvil member or vise 15 of conventional construction is fitted into the tapering walls Ha of the eyelet back by a drive fit and preferably to a position where it will seat upon the lugs lb of the eyelet back. As best shown in Fig. 2 the anvil member is more or less of a completely closed construction having a base I! with its center portion flared inwardly as at [8 and surrounding a restrictive opening 19 which preferably is of a polygonal or irregular shape for reasons that will appear later. The opposite end of the anvil member is provided with a completely closed inner end in the form of an axial outwardly domed portion 29 that merges into a sur rounding annular shoulder 2i terminating the upper edge of the anvil proper.

In order to provide a secure anchorage for the metal eyelet bacl; H with the plastic cap it, the upper end of the tapering walls Ila of said back d join into an outwardly flaring flange 23 that constitutes the open end of the back. The juncture of the flange 23 with the side walls IIa of the eyelet back is preferably at a relatively sharp or distinct angle as at 24 for the purpose of providing a distinct line of demarcation that forms a convenient boundary for the location for the rear face 25 of the plastic cap.

In the process of molding the plastic cap II] of i the button, it is, of course, necessary that the eyelet back II and the anvil I6 as a unit be molded as an insert into the plastic cap ID. The mold should be dimensioned so that the rear face 25 of the plastic cap lies in a plane common with the angle 24. By this construction it Will be apparent that the full extent of the rearwardly projecting hub III) of the button back is entirely exposed and free of any plastic material, and the diametrical size of said hub part I Ib can be kept at a minimum which is of an advantage when this particular type of button is fastened through button holes of a garment. A further advantage of this particular construction of having the projecting hub Nb of the button back of metal material entirely free of any surrounding plastic material, is in case the button is to serve as an attaching means for Suspender loops on over-all garments, and where the suspender loops are adapted to embrace only the metal hub of the button with vno danger of injuring, breaking or wearing away any of the plastic material as might be the case where the button hub in part is made of or surrounded by plastic material.

It will be further observed from Figs. 1 and 2 that the domed portion 20 and annular shoulder 2| of the anvil I6 serves as a stop or virtually a die face to limit the how of the plastic material into the hollow of the button hub IIb coincident with the molding operation. Further, as pointed out in the objects of the invention, the position of the domed formation and annular shoulder 2| is such, when the anvil I6 is fitted into the hollow hub portion, as to allow some amount of the molded material to flow into the upper hollow portion of the hub beyond the plane of the surface of the rear face 25 of the cap I0, thus providing for a thicker axial central portion or rearward projection Ia on said cap ID for the purpose of reinforcing and strengthening this part of the button.

In the disclosure of the drawing and the specification the anvil is shown and described as setting upon the lugs I5 within the hub Nb of the metal back I I, but it is within the preview of this invention to initially have the anvil set into the hub so that a slight space may occur between the anvil base I! and the lugs I5 prior to the molding operation and then have the anvil forced home within the hub II b to set upon the lugs I5 by the enormous pressure of the plastic material urged against the upper dome 2D and shoulder 2| of the anvil I6 coincident with the molding operation.

In assembling a button to a garment or support 26 it may be accomplished by a conventional tack 2'! having a shank 28 that is guided through the opening I I of the eyelet back, forced through the restricted opening I9 of the anvil and have its pointed end deflected or upset as at 29 against the interior of the domed portion 25 of said anvil. The fact that the opening I9 is of a shape other than round, as pointed out above, allows for a series of relatively sharp edges at the opening I9 to bite into opposite surfaces of the shank as the latter expands under axial 4 pressure to serve as a means of better anchoring the same, and the fact that the base I! of the anvil is slightly flared inwardly as indicated at I8 serves to increase the bite of the anvil upon the shank against any tendency to pull the rivet or tack member outwardly from the button.

Another structural advantage of this button by reason of its particular construction is the fact that it can transmit axial forces through the central portion of the button as well as through the walls comprising the hub part of the button. Such transmittal of forces axially through the button is necessary when setting a button upon a garment. In order to set a button upon any fabric material or garment by means of a rivet type of fastening element, experience has taught that it is necessary to actually compress the materialinterposed between the button hub and the head of the fastener element from 35% to 50% of its normal thickness in order to assure that the button will be secured rigidly enough to the supporting material to preclude turning. While the illustration of Fig. 1 does not show such a proportional compression of material 25, it should be understood that in actual practise the fabric material disposed between the head 2'! of the tack and the base I2 of the hub must be compressed at least half of its original thickness and usually more than half that amount depending on the character of fabric material. That means considerable pressure must be applied to the top surface of the plastic cap and transmitted through the button structure to attain the required compression of the interposed fabric material independent cf the force required to upset the fastener element within the anvil. From the construction of this button it will be apparent that axial forces will be transmitted through the hub wall and in addition in the design of having the central part of the plastic cap abutted solidly against the closed end of the anvil (dome 26 and shoulder I9), and the opposite end of the anvil II seated directly upon the lugs I5 of the hub base I2 assures a continuity of the central structure of the button capacitated to absorb and supplement the hub walls in transmitting any severe axial forces through the button structure.

In the modified construction shown in Fig. 6, a combination plastic and metal button is exemplified having all the inventive characteristics of the first button described, and. difiers from the first in that the hub 30 is made from a slug by diecasting or forging and includes an anvil socket 3i and attaching flange 32 as one integral unit with the flange 32 disposed at a distinct angle to the walls of the hub and embedded in the molded material of the cap 33. A restricted opening 34 is provided in the hub inturned base 35 of the hub through which a suitable fastener element may be inserted and deflected within the anvil socket 3|. It is to be noted that in this modified construction provision is made to thicken the central portion of the plastic cap by disposing the adjacent wall 36 in the interior of the hub below the plane of the rear face of said cap.

The invention is not intended to be limited to the two forms herein selected for purposes of illustration, but should be regarded as comprising modifications and variations within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A button comprising a cap of plastic material and a shell back member of sheet metal, said shell back member having a flanged end completely embedded in said plastic cap for anchorage therein, said member comprising a hol low hub provided with an inturned centrally aperture-d end and projecting from the rear sur face of said cap, said hub being entirely free of the cap plastic material outwardly of said hub, and an anvil member fitted entirely within said hollow hub and embraced between the hub inturned end and the interior face of said cap confined within said hollow hub.

2. A button comprising a cap of plastic material having a substantially flat rear face, a cupshaped back having an integral flanged portion at its open end permanently and completely embedded in said plastic cap, said back comprising a, hollow hub projecting from the rear face of said cap entirely free of any surrounding plastic material, said hub having an inturned outer end tapered inwardly and surrounding a central opening for guiding a fastener member thereinto, and means providing for a thickened central portion of the material of said plastic cap projecting into and solidly filling a portion of the interior of said hub from its open end.

3. A button comprising a molded plastic cap and a hub projecting from the rear face of said plastic cap and free of any surrounding plastic material, said hub having a continuous outwardly flared flange at its open end, said flange being completely embedded into said plastic cap, said hub projecting from the rear face of said cap and having an inturned base end with a restricted opening leading into a hollow interior, the interior of said hub providing for an anvil means engaged against the adjacent inner face of said plastic cap as a stop and serving to upset an attaching element.

4. A button as defined by claim 3 wherein the flaring flange joins the side walls of the hub at a relatively sharp angle in a plane common with the rear face of said cap.

5. A button comprising a molded plastic cap and a hollow hub part of sheet metal projecting from the rear face of said cap and having an inturned centrally apertured end, means for anchoring the hub part in said plastic cap. and a hollow anvil member fitted within said hub part and having a completely closed inner end and an opposite apertured based end, said anvil having its apertured base end resting against the inturned end of said nub part with its completely closed end disposed below the plane of the normal l. in)

exposed rear face of said cap, and the material Y of said cap projecting and confined within said hub part abutted against said completely closed end of said anvil as a means for rigidly securing said anvil within said hub part.

6. A button comprising a plastic cap of molded material and a cup-shaped eyelet back of metal, the eyelet back comprising an outwardly flared flange, a hollow hub part and an inturned apertured end, the flared flange being the only portion of the back that is completely embedded into the plastic cap for anchorage purposes, and a hollow anvil member fitted into said hub part and having. an inner closed end portion formed to provide a" centrally outwardly domed portion and a surrounding shoulder, said shoulder and cap rear face into said hollow hub so as to increase the central thickness of said plastic cap as a reinforcing means.

8 A button comprising a plastic of molded material and a cup shaped back of metal, said back formed to provide an outwardly flared flange surrounding its open end and a hollow hub part, said flange being completely Ellflb ed into said plastic cap as an anchorage hiie the hollow hub parts extends outwardly from said cap entirely free of any surrounding plastic material, said flange and hub part joined at a relatively distinct angle on a plane common with the surrounding rear face of said and anvil member entirely contained Within said hub part and having a completely closed inner end that is disposed in a plane inwardly of the angular juncture of the flange and hub part, said cap having a rearward projection as a reinforcing means solidly fitted into the open end of said hub part and abutted against the closed inner end of the anvil member as a stop.

9. A button comprising a plastic cap of molded material and a cup-shaped back. the back formed to provide an outwardly flared flange completely embedded into the plastic cap as an anchorage means and a hub part joined to said flange at a relatively distinct angle, said hub part having an inturned outer end with a central portion drifted inwardly and surrounding an axial opening, the drifted portion terminating inwardly of the hub and folded over upon itself, an anvil member wholly contained within said hub part and having one end seated upon the folded over portion of the hub and drifted portion and its opposite end disposed on a plane inwardly of the juncture of the flange and hub part, and an axial projection formed as a part of said cap fitted into said hub part and abutted solidly against the opposite end of said anvil.

10. A button of the rivet fastener type comprising a cap part made entirely of plastic material and a hub part of metal material having an open end and a closed end, the open end of said hub part having means for permanent anchorage into said cap part, said hub part projecting outwardly and directly from the rear face of said cap part entirely free of any surrounding plastic material, said hub part having a restricted central opening in its closed end for guiding a fastener element therethrough, said cap part having a rearward central projection solidly fitting into a portion of said hub part from its open end, and an anvil means provided in the interior of said hub part for upsetting a part of the fastener element when attaching the button to a supporting member and backed up against the central projection of said cap.

11. A button comprising a cap member of molded plastic material and a hollow hub part extending from the rear face of said cap member and secured rigidly thereto as an integral unit, said hub part having an open end adacent said cap member and an opposite base end with a restricted opening, an anvil member substantially wholly contained within said hollow hub part and domed portion providing for a stop for the material of saidplastic cap projected into the hollow interior of said hub.

'7. A button as defined by claim 6 wherein the shoulder and domed portion of the anvil is positioned below the plane of the rear face of said plastic cap, and a projection extending from said having one end disposed inwardly of the open end of said hub, and a projecting portion formed as an integral part of said cap member and projecting into the open end of said hub, said cap projecting portion and the closed end of said hub part being solidly clamped against diametrically opposite ends of said anvil.

EDMUND D. J ANES. 

